We are a multi-partisan* group of Canadians, who came together and took action because we had become increasingly concerned about the future of Canada. We hope that the new government will respect the traditions and regulations of our parliamentary democracy. To comment, e-mail us at reclaimcanada@gmail.com

Even Canada’s stellar international reputation for fairness has been tarnished. To many of us this demonstrates an alarming disrespect for the foundation of our democracy: our parliamentary traditions and regulations, and the rule of law.

RODC is not an organization to fight all the ills of Canada. RODC is dealing with the erosion of our democratic process, the lack of open, transparent, accountable government, and the need to hear voices of advocacy and dissent.

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Anti-democratic Actions

The Harper government

-Was the first government of Canada to be found in Contempt of Parliament

-Diminished traditions of consultation, debate, public access to information.

-Increased secrecy and obfuscation.

-MPs who vote and speak "on command".

-A further weakening of the Senate.

-Manuals designed to disrupt parliamentary committees.

-Important announcements not made in Parliament or even in Canada.

-Open mockery of Question Period

-A House of Commons lowered in the estimation of Canadians

The Harper Government views the Parliament of Canada as INCONVENIENT!

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The Canada We Want

Within Canada’s highly-developed parliamentary democracy, and recognizing its evolving history and traditions, we citizens of Canada want the following:

-Respect and recognition for our Charter of Rights and Freedom

-Transparent, open, and accountable government

-Attention paid to voices of dissent and advocacy

-An informed electorate

-A Fair Vote system so all citizens get fair political representation.

-Decision-making based on identified needs and backed up by scientific evidence

-Organizations free to advocate for their clients without fear of retribution through loss of funding

-MPs able to vote and speak freely in Parliament

-Accurate and accessible information on government proposals, businesses, foreign acquisitions, plans, and services.

-Federal scientists free to speak to media and public about their work

-Access to information without political interference.

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We invite you to join our movement to

Reclaim Our Democratic Canada.

To ADD YOUR NAME to the list of SUPPORTERS visit

reclaimourcanada.blogspot.com

OR

to send us a COMMENT regarding the erosion of our democracy

e-mail us at

reclaimcanada@gmail.com

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Tragedy in the Commons

- book launch –

What Happened to our Democracy??

Have a discussion with Alison Loats and Michael MacMillan, the authors of Tragedy in the Commons which includes exit interviews with over 80 former MPs, about the decline of democracy and what we can do about it.

Loat and MacMillan ask:

>Just what do we want Members of Parliament to be doing?

>To whom are they accountable?

>And should parties be trusted with the enormous power they wield with such little oversight or citizen involvement?

Alison and Michael co-founded Samara, a non-partisan charitable organization that works to improve political participation in Canada.

Have a glass of wine or a beer at O’Finns in downtown Oakville while we share opinions about how democratic our House of Commons is and should be.

The Act
muzzles Elections Canada. Elections Canada has always been independent of political
influences and the guardian of democracy. The proposed Bill prevents the CEO of
Elections Canada from encouraging voting and civic participation. The
Commissioner of Elections would now be in the office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions, a government department. The Commissioner will not be allowed to
communicate the details of any investigation to the public or to Parliament or
to compel witness testimony (a significant obstacle in a recent investigation
of electoral fraud).

The Act Reduces
the Right to Vote. It prohibits
the use of vouching and of Voter Information Cards to establish a citizen’s
identity, residency and eligibility to vote. (Although there is no evidence
that vouching leads to voter fraud.) These rule changes would prevent an
estimated 120,000 seniors, students, economically disadvantaged people and
First Nations citizens from voting.

The Act
Increases the Influence of Personal Wealth in Elections. It would exempt “fundraising expenses” from
the spending limits for political parties. Political parties would not have to
provide supporting documentation for their expenses. The caps on individual
donations would increase and a gap would be created between the allowable
campaign contributions of ordinary citizens and the contributions of candidates
to their own campaigns.

The Act
Fosters Partisan Bias. The winning political
party will be able to recommend names for poll supervisors, introducing the
possibility of partisan bias·. Exempting
“fundraising expenses” will create a bias in favour of parties with longer
lists of donors– currently, the governing party.

The Proposed Act is Being Rushed into Law in
Parliament. In the past, electoral reform in Canada has involved widespread
consultation with Elections Canada, the opposition parties and the citizens at
large. The Harper Government has cut off debate and discussion in order to
enact the Bill as soon aspossible.

What Can You Do?

Call your MP to express
your concern!!

Reclaim
Our Democratic Canada

Actively
documents and resists the dismantling of Democracy in Canada.

Our Canadian
Democracy is in Trouble - Here’s Why!

Voter Turnout Is Dropping
Like a Stone

·In the last 20 years voter turnout has fallen
from approximately 80% to below 60%.

·Fewer than 40% of young people aged 18-24 voted
in the last election. This was due in
part to apathy, disgust, and in part to voter suppression.

·In 2011 246 out of 308 ridings had inappropriate
Robocalls.

The proposed “Fair Elections Act” could muzzle the
Chief Electoral Officer and remove his or her ability to increase voter
turnout. It would prevent Canadians from
vouching for their fellow citizens at polling stations (120,000 Canadians were
able to vote after being vouched for in 2011.)

“The crisis in
Canadian democracy is not that Canadians are voting more than once. It is that they are voting less than once.”

Elizabeth May – Green
Party of Canada.

The proposed “Fair Elections Act” is far From Fair

The Act would allow unelected
Senators to veto any new democratic reforms, such as on-line voting.

It would increase the maximum donation amount from $1200 to
$1500. Currently Conservative supporters
make twice as many maximum donations as supporters of all other parties
combined. Which party stands to benefit the most?

Conservatives are Rushing to
Pass the Bill.

The last major Elections Act spent 49 days being
discussed in the House before passing second reading. This one has spent just 4 days being discussed in the House.

It’s time to demand true democracy in Canada.

Visit

reclaimourcanada.blogspot.ca

The above flyer outlines the objections to the Elections Act.===========================New BrochureThis is the text of our new brochure. The formatted three column two-sided brochure is available on request for anyone to use. E-mail: reclaimcanada@gmail.com

Reclaim Our Democratic Canada (RODC)

actively documents and resists the dismantling of Democracy in Canada.

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The Bully, the Bullied, the Bystander and the Harper Government!

The Bully…

What is a Bully? Bullying is the repeated oppression of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group of persons. It can take many different forms, including name-calling and teasing, threats, ostracism, silencing, and attacks on someone’s reputation. Bullying behavior can occur in schools…and also in the workplace, social groups, sports, online activities and within governments.

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Do you see bullying here?

● When Aboriginal child advocate Cindy Blackstock filed a human rights complaint against Ottawa stating that Aboriginal child services got 22% less funding than non-Aboriginal child services, the Harper government began stalking her. Since 2007, the government has repeatedly dug into her Facebook account, appeared at her public appearances, accessed her Indian status report without reason, and looked up information on her friends, personal travel plans, and other irrelevant personal information.● When artist Franke James spoke out against Canada’s oil sands, instructions from the Harper government cancelled funding and Canada’s endorsement of her upcoming art show in Europe.● The Harper government has taken attack ads to a whole new level. Today’s Harper attack ads are unrelenting, malicious, and occur outside of election campaigns.

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Harper’s government “really can’t function without bullying. Its enemies are everywhere and it must be eternally vigilant” (The Globe & Mail, May 2013).

The Bullied…

Still Don’t Think Harper’s a Bully?? The impacts of bullying include becoming disconnected. Bullied persons begin to avoid conflict, speak out less, and become socially withdrawn. They become fearful and less empowered in their own communities. In Canada, examples of people being bullied include…● Charities, faith-based organizations, human rights groups, trade unions, scientists, women’s equality groups and environmental organizations, who have felt the government’s sting. They’ve lost funding, been publicly vilified, had their patriotism questioned, their charitable status revoked and their fundraising crippled. Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki resigned from the board of his foundation over concerns that his advocacy for the environment could put its charitable status at risk.● Head of Stats Canada Munir Sheikh, who quit his position when his work’s integrity was undermined. Under the Harper government the long-form census was cancelled, putting political ideology before facts.● Politicians who are forced into silence. Barred from challenging Harper’s fiscal policy, for example, Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber mused: "Are members of Parliament mere mouthpieces for their respective parties?"● Citizens who feel that they don’t have a voice. Judge Mosley ruled that Robocall fraud occurred “through the use, by person or persons unknown, of the Conservative party databank”. Kathy Brock, professor in the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s, notes that Robocall fraud “can have a negative effect on the political system and how the public perceives it” – citizens become apathetic and voters become cynical.

Bullies make their own rules.Bullies create a culture where it’s okay to silence, to be silenced and to feel powerless. This is happening in our parliament right now.

===========================

Harper has established a culture of bullying.

The Bystander

This affects me. This affects you. We can choose to be bystanders, or we can choose to act.Democracy can’t work with bullies. Democracy needs us to be active and say our part.Every time we speak up and every action we take to protect our democracy – no matter how small – has the power to make a difference.What can YOU do?:-Don’t simply be a bystander-Become informed-Use your ballot – vote!-Be aware of the erosion of your rights-Write to MPs and the media, urging action-Insist on transparency-Support an environment in which bullying is not permitted-Hold people accountable

Oakville – Today people from Oakville and the Halton Area joined a national day of action with 54 confirmed locations across the country to voice their concerns about the Federal Budget Bill currently before Parliament.

Organizer, Hart Jansson and member of RODC, Reclaim Our Democratic Canada, says, "We will not recognize the right of any person or party to weaken our democratic rights and freedoms. That is why we are here. These rights and freedoms are sacrosanct and not subject to the whims of any party or prime minister. That's why we are here."

The Federal Budget Bill, Bill C-38, makes changes to over 70 laws, and has drawn criticism across the political spectrum, including from former Conservative cabinet ministers and members of Prime Minister Harper’s own caucus.

Former Conservative Fisheries Minister, Tom Siddon, when asked to comment on the cross-Canada events, called the national day of action “worthy” and “worthwhile.”

“I think it’s important that all possible means should be brought to bear on Bill C-38 to have these important environmental clauses removed from the bill,” said Siddon. “This is not about party politics. This is about political leadership, it's about distinguishing between a government approach which is only concerned about the pocketbook issues, and the more serious and profound value we place on Canada - the heart and the soul of the nation.”

Participants believe that if the Bill passes unchanged, it will put a black mark on Canadian democracy. “We are looking for 13 “hero” Conservative MPs who will work together to stop the budget, split it apart, and start over by inviting Canadians to help them craft laws that will work better for all of us,” said Jamie Biggar, Executive Director of Leadnow.ca.

All local events were organized by volunteers who have signed up online to participate. Leadnow.ca is an intergenerational community that works for progress through democracy. For more information about the campaign, please visit the Leadnow web site.